Daybreak
by AJ Edwins
Summary: Eliza-May Swan is a trouble maker, and when her illegal doings get her sent to Forks, she's in for a big surprise. Mainly, her sister Bella's new boyfriend. Could Forks have a gang of it's own?
1. Square One

**Here it is: The Daybreak Retake. I'd like you to read this chapter and then review it. I have a poll on my profile page you can use if you don't want to review.**

**----*----**

She stuffed her parka into the overhead compartment. As she down beside me, she sighed. I could sense her discomfort and disappointment.

"This was your idea," I said, pinning back my neon blue bangs. My carry on item was a battered old viola. I'll admit, it was less practical, but it's my baby. "I would have happily settled for a GED."

My hair style isn't the only thing that makes me so different from my genetically identical sister. I, Eliza-May, suffer from what was historically called 'Little's Disease'. Isabella Marie is far healthier, and, in my opinion, an idiot.

You may call me bitter, but as we flew away from our sunny home in Phoenix, Arizona, I wanted to hit her. _Oh well, _I thought, sitting back in my seat. _Let's just forget the fact that cold weather and I aren't compatible. _

"Liza," Bella said, shyly. "I'm sorry."

"Sure," I grumbled. "Keep telling yourself that. We are going to the dreariest, wettest, most depressing place in the Milky Way, and all you can say is 'sorry'? Apology not accepted."

"Charlie is willing to take us, and he says there's a really good doctor." I had no doubt that she was either disusing my tendency toward illness or a physiologist. She, like always, she was acting like an older sister. The strange thing was that I was nearly an hour older.

That's another thing that annoys the shit out of me. I'd always be the weaker sister, the freaky musician who met the wrong guy and began to hang with the wrong people. The awkward, sickly child that forced herself to become part of a start-up gang and learned to protect herself. The sweet innocent that lost her innocence, thinking she would become strong.

We only called our father 'Dad' to his face. Neither one of us had been to Forks since we were fourteen, when Bella threw a fit. I really didn't miss the place, and I wasn't looking forward to finishing high school there.

"The hospital's called 'Forks Community', and it's in 'Clallam County Hospital District #1.' It doesn't even sound like they treat broken bones." _All though, I did read something about hyenas. _Wait; that was the Seattle Zoo._ Maybe it was __hernias. Whatever._

I've got a thing for research. I spent hours trying to change Bella's mind, but none of it worked, so I forgot the details.

"You've never broken bone." _Good point._

That's another difference between Bella and me. She's a klutz; I just avoid going places where I might fall. Shouldn't it be the other way around? I'm the one with spastic diplegia! I swear; Bella's going to be the death of my good-girl-gone-bad reputation.

**----*----**

Four hours later, we got on another plane, and an hour later, Charlie was waiting out side the plane.

Bella and I both groaned. He brought the police cruiser. Does everyone know that we're the police chief's daughters? _Man, I hope we can get a car soon._

"It's nice to see you, Bells, May." He gave Bella a one armed hug, and then steadied her. He noticed that my legs were wobbling a little. "You a little tight?" He reached for me, hoping I wouldn't be hostile.

"I'm fine, Dad." I shrugged off his second hug. "Mom says hi."

"How is Renée?" He never stopped loving our mother and he wasn't very good at keeping it a secret. At least, not from me. He's very easy to read.

"She's fine," we said at the same time.

Our winter clothes fit into two bags. Luckily, Bella and I are the same size, so we didn't have spend too much money on winter clothes. Unluckily, Bella and I have different style tastes. I like dark colors; she well, doesn't care.

The main reason Bella hates Forks is the green. The main reason I hate Forks is Bella. We're never apart. I wanted to move to Forks ages ago, but now that Bella was with me, my life was ruined. We'd probably live together until one of us gets married.

Forks is supposed to be a 'new day' for me. A trip back to square one. The school counselors thought a change in scenery might help my depression problem, and improve my behavior. To prove them wrong, I pierced my cartilage myself. I had no intention of living up to Bella's straight B's, Advanced Placement school record. D's suit me just fine and I don't mind serving detention everyday. People don't stare at me in detention. There, I'm normal. Well, almost.

"I found you two a car."

My ears perked up. Things _were_ beginning looking up. He wasn't punishing me for the few crimes he knew I committed.

"Well, actually, just Bella. I forgot that the doctors said your reflexes aren't good enough for a standard, May." He never seems to remember my condition. He tries too hard to help me feel normal.

I didn't listen to the rest of the conversation. I looked out the backseat window. I'd seen most of Phoenix thru a similar window. Forks was different. The green covered everything. Enchanting, the emerald state. It might just put me to sleep.

I thought about Forks High. I knew I wouldn't be too comfortable there. All my illegal doings would probably be put to an abrupt halt. No more. Nada.

I spent the rest of the trip giving my father and sister a well-deserved silent treatment. I started coughing once or twice. I ignored it. Instead, I watched the rain. It wasn't an omen that things were going to go bad; it was just a sign that some things never change.

We turned onto the (unfortunately) familiar street in the two-stop light town. Dad carried our stuff up to the second floor and Bella followed him so she could clean up.

I walked into the living room and sat on the love seat. Renée and Charlie's wedding picture was still on the wall and following it were nine pictures of nearly- identical Bellas and me. In the tenth, my nose was pierced and my hair was green, and Bella was the only one in the frame in the eleventh. I was at the clinic when that was taken, I remembered.

Charlie came in. "Eliza-May, we need to talk."

"About what, Dad?" I tried desperately to sound innocent. He never used our full names.

"Renée told me you were expelled from your school in Phoenix." Communication was not Charlie's best skill. This must have taken a lot of thought. "What did you do?"

I crossed my arms, and fiddled with my new piercing. "Nothing."

"You know I can't believe that." He was trying to help me.

_Busted. _"What do you think I did?" I coughed into my arm.

He shook his head. "You stole a car." Not a guess, really.

"The principal's," I muttered.

"THE PRINCIPAL'S? EM, WHAT WERE YOU THINKING?" He slammed his fist on the table. "I'M A POLICE CHIEF!"

"Don't remind me," I grumbled.

"You realize that if you something like that here, I'll arrest you." _No duh!_

"That's why I'm not in Florida, Dad. The people at school think you can change me for the better."

"Well, you better change something. Go get yourself unpacked."

I didn't sleep too well that night. Bella spent a decent amount of the night bawling and then tried to talk to me. She was trying, no doubt, to ignore the ghost-like whoosh of the wind outside our window.

"Did Charlie find out what you did?"

"You mean Ms. Potter's car? Yeah. I got the usual. Change your spots or kiss your freedom goodbye." I snorted. "Yeah, right. Like that'll happen."

"You really ought to take this seriously, Liza. I mean, this can't be good for your health." That is so like her, being the responsible one.

"My condition isn't progressive, Bells."

"I know, but," She sat up. "You're going to something you can't reverse one of these days."

I rolled my eyes at the ceiling and pretended to sleep.

**----*----**

Forks High now had 359 students, and as Bella drove 'The Thing' (her _new_ '59 Chevy truck) to the office parking lot, I internally hit myself. The Thing would draw even more attention to us. "Haven't people here heard of mufflers?"

"At least it's sturdy," Bella chuckled.

"Eliza-May," I said when I reached the counter. "That's my sister, Isabella."

The lady smiled and passed us our schedules. "Come give me these slips at the end of the day."

"I think I'll walk the rest of the way," I told Bella. "I've got Spanish first thing."

"'Kay, Liza. Be careful. If you fall—"

"I'm not made of porcelain, Isabella. I'll be fine."

Low and behold, the first hour Spanish class was doing an oral assignment. "Señorita Swan, why don't you introduce yourself?"

"_Bien. Me llamo Liza. Soy de Phoenix, Arizona._"

"_Y,_ _ ¿por qué eres aquí?"_

"_Soy aquí porque fui expulsando. Vivo me padre y me hermana gemela, Isabella._"

"You just used the preterite, Eliza. Can you conjugate all of ser?"

"Present: _Soy, Eres, Es, Somos, Sois, Son_. Simple Preterit: _Fui, Fuiste, Fue, Fuimos, Fuisteís_, _Fueron," _I recited. "It's also the preterit form of _ir_. _Voy, Vas, Va, Vamos, Vais, Van._"

"Why are you only in level one? You have a talent."

I shrugged. "_Ni idea_." _Because of Francisco, _I thought. _And the gang of course._

The teacher waved me back to my seat.

Lunch came as a relief. I went outside to smoke.

"This is a no tobacco campus."

The person talking was unearthly pale with bronze colored hair and dark eyes. He was kind of handsome, if you're into the lean-but-muscled, rich-boy look. "Does it look I care?"

"Those things will kill you." _He sounds like a walking Health Book._

"And?" _You, dude, have no idea how many times I've tried to take my own life._

He looked alerted. "Are you okay? Really, if need someone to talk to, Liza—"

"How'd you know my name?" I was suspicious. _Of course everyone knows us. We're the _police chief's_ way word daughters who finally came home._

"Well, I assumed you didn't go by 'Eliza-May'. You are Liza, right? Not Bella?"

"Yes, I'm Liza." I ground my cigarette butt into the sidewalk, and then fell. I wasn't planning on it. It just happens sometimes.

Edward still looked alerted. "You okay?"

I put my pack in his outstretched hand. "_Estoy bein._"

"I don't want one," he said, clearly disgusted. The look seemed out of place on his stone-white face. His dark eyes struggled not to look me in the face.

"I know." I replied. "It's my last pack. I don't when I'll be able to get more, so I might as well quit now, right?" _How hard can a three-year-old nicotine addiction be to beat anyway? _"Plus, I think I want to keep my father from arresting me." I stood up.

"Okay." He walked back to the cafeteria. "See you."

Turns out that the only other teacher who gave me any trouble was the math teacher (who's name I forgot). Finally, I had my last class. GYM.

It also turns out that this was the only class Bella and I had together. We both groaned. "This is going to be disastrous," Bella mumbled, putting her head in her hands.

"And dangerous." I shook my head. "Have they seen us play sports?"

Luckily, Coach Clapp didn't make us dress down on our first day. So we watched. Some guy with spiky hair looked at Bella from time to time.

"Who's that?"

"I think his name's Mike," Bella said, shaking her head. "He's in a few of my classes."

At the end of class, we walked back to the office.

Bella's eyes popped out of her head. "Edward Cullen."

"Who?" It was the pale boy who took my cigarettes. I turned away. "Oh, stone boy."

"Stone boy?"

"He's not very nice." He stopped talking to the lady at the front, and started to leave. He bumped into me, and was out the door before I could say anything to him. "See?"

"He hates me. He's in my Biology 2 class."

"How do you know? It's only our first day here. Things will look up." _I bet she has a crush._

"Since when were you so optimistic?"

"I don't know. Maybe Utensil Town is rubbing off on me?"

That got a smile from her.

**----*----**

"Dad?"

Charlie looked up from the dinner he ordered and looked honestly surprised that I was speaking to him. "Yes, May?" The tone in his voice said, "What did you do this time?"

"I was wondering if you know Edward Cullen's folks."

Charlie instantly knew who I was talking about. "He must in your music class."

I nodded. "He may be. I really didn't notice him 'til lunch." _Am I taking music this term? Does this school even have a strings program?_

"They," Bella came into our conversation, "they seem a little strange."

"People in this town!" Charlie exclaimed. "You think I'd have more problems with all those adopted kids. The kids whose families have been here for generations are far worse." He looked at me as he said it.

_I get it, Dad. _"What I mean," Bella replied correcting herself, "is that they keep to themselves."

"Dr. Cullen's a nice man and a brilliant surgeon. God knows he could have been better paid in any other hospital in the nation. Thank goodness his wife wanted to live in a small town. He takes the kids hiking or camping every few weekends." He looked at me again. "Speaking of doctors. How you doing, May? I noticed you were coughing last night."

_Busted, _I thought again. "I'm fine. I'll live."

"Famous last words," Bella muttered in my ear. OF course, I did remember that every time I say that I land myself in the hospital for two weeks.

"Dad, if you're worried, I'll see a doctor sometime this week." _How bad can it be?_

Just then, the phone rang. Charlie answered. "Swan residence. This is Charlie." "Oh, hello Dr. Cullen." "She did?" He looked at me and raised his eyebrows. "She forgot to mention it. Do you have any openings this week?" "No, apparently the fall didn't do anything drastic. She has a really bad cough." "Yes, I'll bring her in tomorrow morning."

**----*----**


	2. Honesty

**----*----**

Turns out that Dr. Cullen is only in his early thirties. He had a friendly manner about him. "You must be Liza."

I nodded, suddenly shy. "Yep, I'm the blue Swan."

He chuckled at my joke. "How are you?"

"I'm fine, sir. Charlie's just exaggerating." I went into a coughing fit then. "Honestly, I'll be okay." I covered my mouth. "Really."

He suddenly went serious. "You smoke." That was not a question. "I assume you know the risks involved."

I nodded; my anger apparent. I had no doubt that Edward told him._ Stupid boy. He __**really**__ doesn't want to be on my bad side._ "I'm trying to quit." _Of course, you probably already know that._

"Has your CP been acting up?"

"My 'spaz-die'?" That's my word for it. CP sounds too vague (it really is, ask Wikipedia). "No. The fall was a freak accident." _It's the kind of thing Bella would do._

"May I?" I nodded. He straightened my right leg and then my left. They didn't go completely straight, but I was expecting that. "Could you lie down for me, please?"

"Sure," _I know the drill, doc._

His hands were ice cold. I was expecting it, but it surprised me. He pretty much tested all of joints. How far my legs go into the air, ankle angles, and hip rotation. The last one surprised him. "Okay. Go ahead and sit up."

"Well?" I didn't hide the malicious in my voice. _I know what you're about to say, dude._

"You walk on your toes." Another statement, but he hadn't seen me walk yet. _Man, I'm going to kill Cullen. _"Have you considered wearing splints?"

I rolled my eyes. The large plastic braces were the devil's favorite instrument when it came to me. "I wore them until I was twelve."

"I think your father needs to hear the next few things too." He opened the door. "Charlie, come in."

Charlie looked concerned. "What's wrong, Dr. Cullen?"

"Well, Charlie, I'm surprised that her doctor in Phoenix didn't suggest some of this. It's almost too late for treatment." He took a deep breath. "Or at least free treatment."

I sat there, numb. I'd never heard the words 'too late.' It was like I had something terminal. And I knew I didn't. Still, I started to cry.

"Are we going to have to call Renée?" Charlie asked me directly.

I didn't answer. _Oh my god; I'm in trouble._

"First off, your daughter, quite clearly, smokes."

Charlie growled. "You are so grounded."

"I know, Dad." _That Cullen kid better not cross my path._

"But, Chief Swan, I think Liza needs surgery. And soon. There's a good doctor at the children's hospital in Seattle. She'll need to stop smoking before I refer her." His kind gold eyes focused on me, then. "If you gain any weight, you might have to go into a wheelchair."

My tears turned to sobs. "Daddy…" _No, _it felt like a death sentence. _This can't be happening._

"Are you sure?" Charlie asked, suddenly angry with the doctor instead. "Are you saying my daughter's going to be _crippled_," he said it like it was a bad word, "for the rest of her life?"

"If we aren't careful, yes."

**----*----**

I didn't go to school the rest of the week. I couldn't even think straight. Renée cried with me that first night.

"Oh, baby, I wish I could be there. I wish I could hold your hand."

I found myself comforting her. "Mom, it's _**not**_ cancer. I'll live." I'd left the smoking part out. "I'm going to be okay."

"But," I could hear her sobs, and my stepfather in the background.

"_Is she going to be okay?" _I heard him yell.

"Mom," I said, trying to sound confident like Bella. "Put Phil on the phone."

I imagined her nodding and passing the phone. "Eliza?" Phil asked, carefully. "Why do you want to talk to me?"

"I can't make her understand, sir." I always call him that. It's simpler. He's nice, but calling him 'Phil' makes him seem even closer to our age than he is. "I think she thinks I'm dying."

He didn't bother correcting me like he usually does. "Kiddo, I'll deal with your mom right now. What matters is if you can deal with this."

That's one thing I like about Phil, he understands. He lost a sister to cancer when he was younger. I always tell him he should be coach, not a player.

"Liza, you'll be okay, I promise. You'll be okay. Now, can I talk to your father?"

**----*----**

I went back to school on Monday morning. I walked across the lawn toward my Spanish class. "Liza?"

Stone boy was standing behind me. "Oh, greetings," _what are you doing here? I think you'd know that I hate you by now._

"You've been crying." He looked smug, but concerned. "Want to talk about it now?"

I sat down, "I guess so. What do you want to talk about?"

He sat down beside me, with unforeseen grace and speed. "Why are you in Forks?"

"Do you mean 'you' as 'Isabella and I' or 'you' as in 'just me'? Because if you mean both of us, I'd like to tell you that I can't read her mind. Telepathy is not a trait I wish to possess." _Try to get past __**that**__ vocabulary, Cullen._

Stone boy laughed. "You don't like being a twin." Another Cullen who made statements rather than guesses.

"Well, of course not. Who would? Bella's this prefect, Advanced Placement, Shakespeare-loving, homebody. I'm an angry, nicotine-addicted, viola player. We're not exactly similar." I took a breath. "Oh, and I saw your father the other day."

He nodded. "I know and I apologize."

I rolled my eyes. _Let the pity party begin. _"So, you want to know why I'm in Utensil Town; right?"

He nodded.

"Okay, so I was dating a boy named Francisco. We weren't the best behaved kids in school. There are very few poor neighborhoods in our district, and he moved down the street from us. I fell for him instantly, and we did some things I'm not proud of. Got that? 'Cause I'm not going to tell you if you ask again."

He nodded again and tapped his head. "I've got a good memory. So you sent yourself here to get away from Francisco." Another assumption.

"No," I replied. "I was sent here by the police. I'm a criminal that they almost charged as an adult. They gave me a second chance. Thought maybe I was just some weak little kid." I'd never explained this fully to someone, not even the judge.

"Francisco made you do something." Another non-question.

_Lots of things, actually_. "You could say that." _We went farther than planned. Way farther than planned._

"You let him cross the line."

_Oh god, can you read me that easily? _I put my head in my hands. "I've never shown anyone this before. Mom couldn't even guess." I took a deep breath, and pulled up my shirt shelves. My tattoos stood out like ink on a page. "I was in a gang."

I watched his face, and he looked grim. "You were frightened and didn't know what to do."

I nodded. "I've never felt so guilty. Everything felt _wrong_. _I_ felt wrong." I started crying. "I'm worthless." _I saw a murder._

"You didn't do anything wrong, Liza." He carefully put his hand on my exposed shoulder. "But you really should tell Charlie."

I snorted. "Yeah and be sent to military school? Who do you take me for?" The bell rang. "See you later."

I walked into class, crying as I rolled the shelves back up. I'd never been so honest with someone. What was it about Edward Cullen that almost drove me to squeal? I wasn't supposed to show anyone my other side. I wasn't going to be Ducky anymore. I promised myself that before I came to this dreary place.


	3. Crash

I really need you lot to tell me what you think! PLEASE! I'm desperate.

**----*----**

The Cullen boy had me confused. He seemed nice enough, and handsome. The problem was his air. He just wasn't normal.

I noticed the rest of his rumored family right away. One of the boys was large and built like a bear. The other was skinner and blonde. The taller of the two girls was blonde and built like a model. The smaller looked graceful and was built like a dancer.

"Hey," the dancer-one said as I walked my way to lunch. "I'm Alice Cullen. You must be Bella Swan's little sister."

"Actually," I replied bitterly. "We're twins. In fact I was born first." Bella's friends had done the same thing.

"What, that's impossible, you're a sophomore." Her eyes went hazy slightly. "I guess I didn't see that. Sorry."

----*----

"Yo, Liza-M!" Bella's Asian guy friend called as I entered. "Come over here!"

I groaned. _Why are they talking to me? _I ignored them. I had no reason to have any friends here. I was just here to get my high school diploma and get the heck out of here. This promised to be the worse three years of my life.

The blonde one (Mike) ran up to me. "Liza, come on. We're planning a beach trip."

"I don't do beach trips," I grumbled, taking my tray back from the third guy, "but thanks." It was too late. Somebody pushed me into a chair.

"Lisa, perk up," the African American said. "Haven't you heard of social interaction?"

"It's Liza," I corrected. "Now, bug off."

"Yeah, bug off, Tyler," the Asian said. "Don't worry, baby, I've got your back."

I snorted. _Yeah, right. I'm going to throw up. _I threw away my lunch, and went to class early.

**----*----**

The next morning was brutal. It started when I walked down stairs in my black mini skirt and tights.

"Liza, go change," Charlie barked as soon as I walked into the kitchen. "There's a dress code, remember?"

I ignored him and got some cereal.

"Eliza-May," he said, firmer. "Look at me." He never _ever _acted like this with Bella. I guess that's what I get for being a delinquent

"Huh?" I turned to him, pretending I didn't hear him. "What do you want, Dad?"

"Stand up straight and put your hands at your sides." I did. "See, your skirt is too short for school, and my, standards."

I ran up stairs. "Isabella, I suggest you find something else to wear. It's icy and Dad vetoed my skirt."

"What? Why?" She looked perplexed.

"Those are my black jeans, Izzy. They look amazing on you, but you don't need to impress anyone. The guys like you enough."

----*----

We were almost late because of the ice, and as we checked the tires, a van came hurtling toward us. Bella was focused on something (or someone) else. "Holy sheep shears, Izzy!" I screamed, so afraid I couldn't move.

"Dang, Liza," Bella groaned, "don't call me that."Then she heard the squeal brakes. Her head turned towards the van.

It was heading right for us. _We're going to die._

Someone knocked Bella to the ground. "Liza, move!" someone who sounded very far away, yelled.

Everything was moving in slow motion, and the van knocked right into me and I heard several crunching sounds. "Someone call 9-1-1!" Yet another person yelled. "It's on Eliza-May's leg!""Get Tyler out!"

The buzzing of teachers' voices joined the rumble of the students'. I tried to move. "Liza, don't move." Cullen had his arms wrapped Bella. "You're hurt pretty badly." I looked at him. He seemed to not be breathing, and was alerted at the sight of my blood.

I tried to pull my leg out from under the wheel. "But it hurts," I mumbled, barely able to hear myself. "Get it off." The voices were all too much. My head was hazy, my leg was going numb, and I yelled. I tried to breathe slowly, but I was panicking.

Little white lights blocked my vision. I screamed again. My breathing quickened. The white spots got larger, and then turned black. _I'm going to die_. _What a way to go. _It felt strangely comforting. I couldn't even feel the cold pavement. My body automatically curled around the wheel in a final spasm of pain.

I was fully, if not overly, aware of everything around me. People yelling. The sound of Bella's breathing. The slight taste of rusty, salt-filled blood in my mouth. The ache that was beginning to travel up my jaw. All the colors were brighter, more intense. I could feel the surge of cold air coming from Bella and Cullen's direction. _It's not like anyone will miss me. _I thought before I closed my eyes.

"Stay awake," Cullen's voice was more of internal whispering plea. "Please, Liza. Stay awake." It felt as if I was hearing something no one else could hear. His thoughts. I opened my eyes in surprise. _Yep, I'm defiantly dying. I'm hearing things._

"Oh my god, Liza!" Bella tried to sit up. She looked paler than usual. "You're leg is bleeding. NO!" Leave it to my sister to worry about me before she worried about her.

"Stay down, Bella." Edward ordered. "You hit your head too."

"I'm okay," she lied, holding her head. "Is there anyway to stop the bleeding?" She asked Edward, concerned. "She's losing a lot of it."

The pained, non-breathing look on Edward's face didn't waver. He plugged his nose and muttered a curse word. "No, Liza, you're stronger than that." It was another strange, inner thought voice, this time from Bella.

I was unable to question my sanity because the paramedics had moved the van. They got me in the ambulance and moving toward the hospital before the cops even showed up.

**----*----**

I didn't realize who the ER doctor was until they got Bella and her friend Tyler safely in the hospital.

"I heard the chief's daughter's where in."

I groaned. _Joy, let the assumptions begin. _"Hey, Dr. Cullen," I said, trying to sound casual, despite the fact that I was still very dizzy.

"Well," Dr. Cullen said, "the X-Ray says it isn't broken." His cold hands gently squeezed my now stitched and bandaged leg.

"OW!" I screamed, losing my surface cool. _Oh shit! It hurts, it hurts!_ My breathing became labored again.

Dr. Cullen adjusted my IV. "Breath slowly, Liza. We don't want to lose you again."

"Again?" I asked. "I died?" _SHIT! Why didn't they leave me be?_

"Almost," Dr. Cullen admitted. "It was a close call. I almost had them send you straight to Seattle."

"I'm so sorry," Tyler said from the next bed. "Lisa, really, I am."

"It's Liza," Charlie growled. _That's strange, when did he get here?_ "And you can kiss your license good bye."

"It seems," Dr. Cullen continued, clearly astonished, "that you have merely cut your leg and dislocated your patella."

"Merely is an understatement," another whispery voice said. "It's her whole god-damn leg." I shook it off. _Still nuts._

"My knee cap?" I questioned, my cool having returned. "That's a surprising simple injury for the pain."

"It's the cut that's causing the pain. It already appears to be infected." He wrote something down. "Your cuts get infected easily."

I nodded. _ That assuming thing is beginning to get on my nerves._ "That and pneumonia have put me in the hospital more times than I can count."

"You weren't held back because of grades, were you?" Charlie asked, gently. "Why didn't Renée tell me you were so sick?"

I took a deep breath. "I'm sorry, Daddy." It was my choice to keep him the dark, so he wouldn't treat me differently. "But that's irrelevant information. What matters is what we do about my leg."

"We're doing to put you in a brace for now," the doctor said. "But you might have head trauma, so we'll keep you in over night."

"I'm sorry," Tyler muttered again.

Charlie pulled the curtain closed. "If that boy ever touches, speaks, or even looks at you…"

"Dad," I said. "I'm alive, that's all that matters. In fact, it's because of your son, Dr. Cullen."

He looked momentarily surprised. He blinked. "How so?" He sounded uninterested, but something told me he was.

"I think," I whispered. "I'm not sure how, but he told me to stay awake so I wouldn't pass out."

"You're very lucky then," he said, very distracted.

He left me to gather my thoughts.


	4. Realization

----*----

When I got home, I didn't have a chance to think about who, or what Cullen was.

"May-May, Izzy!"

"JAKE-JAKE!" I screamed, hobbling out of the house. "OH MY GOD! YOU'RE HERE!"

Bella was looking seriously confused. "What? Who?" she whispered.

"Of course," the fifteen year old Quileute chuckled. "Where else would I be? Harvard?"

"Bella," I said, intentionally loud. "You remember Jacob Black. Dad bought The Thing off his dad, Billy." Figures that Bella wouldn't remember my best friend. The best friend we've known for years. Before we started spending summers in California, I spent my entire summers with him. People used to joke that we'd get married.

Billy wheeled up to us. "What did you do to yourself this time, May-May?" he asked, cautiously.

"Tyler Crowley hit me with his van. I even left a dent." Lying to cover-up for Cullen was too easy, not to mention I had a funny feeling I'd better not mention his family. I pulled out my cell phone. "I've got pictures of the gash on my leg."

Jake started to laugh. "Is that bone?" He shook his head. "That is gross."

"Yeah that's my tibia, and I dislocated my patella." I was smirking.

"Shit, May, I don't know anatomy, but that sounds painful." I'd never heard Jake say 'Shit' before. It was hilarious and fit him perfectly.

Charlie's response was even funnier. "Jacob," he gasped. "Watch it!"

We doubled over in laughter. Bella was staring at us, apparently trying to keep from laughing herself. "Oh, gosh!" I sighed, "Forks might actually be worth getting expelled with you around, Jake."

Billy's winkled face went sober. "Okay," he said, the joking manner gone. "What did you do, really?"

"I didn't say I was good a role model, Mr. Black." I said, somberly. "Just don't let Jake take driving lessons from me, okay?"

Jake and I broke out in laughter again. "I'm sorry I asked," Billy said, trying not to laugh himself.

----*----

The next morning I hobbled into Spanish, a few minutes late. Cullen was standing at the front of the room, talking with our teacher who had his back to the room. Cullen nodded politely in my direction.

"Micah," I whispered, leaning over to the freshman next to me. "What's he doing here?" I forced my voice to drip with disgust and distrust.

"I'm not sure," she replied. She looked mildly surprised, as if she had never heard me speak before. "They're talking in Spanish."

_Speaking, _I corrected in my mind. _They're speaking Spanish._

The teacher turned to the class. "Class, this is Edward. He doesn't have a morning class, so he agreed to spend the hour with us. Say 'Hola', class."

"_Hola," _the rest of the class chorused. I remained stubbornly silent. I refused to acknowledge Cullen, even as a member of a group.

"Liza?" the teacher called. "Participate, please."

I bit my lip and crossed my arms. _No way, Jose. I'd rather eat raw meat and that's something coming from a vegetarian. _

Cullen hid a chuckle behind a cough. "_Esta bein._ I know Eliza-May doesn't like to talk."

I flinched slightly at his use of my name and closed my eyes. I focused on the back of the lids, trying to block the classroom out.

"Actually," the teacher said, looking right at me. "I think you could help Liza. She's missed a lot and we're taking a test today. Perhaps you could go with her to the library and help her study?"

I groaned as Cullen nodded. I slammed my textbook and stood, wobbling slighty.

----*----

"I don't need a tutor," I muttered, in the almost silence of the library.

"Don't you?" Cullen asked. "What's your grade point average?"

I snorted. "Your mood swings are giving me whiplash. One moment, you almost turn me in for smoking. Then, you save my life. Now, you're insulting my GPA."

"I didn't save your life," he muttered, his face guilt-ridden. "I'm not the hero."

"You're the villain," I replied, suddenly understanding. "When you knocked Bella out of the way, you knocked me into the path of the van." I looked him in the eyes. "You almost killed me and my sister still thinks you're amazing."

"Your sister is stubborn." He shook his head, his hair flying slightly._ I haven't noticed his hair color before. It's strange. Copper almost. _"She refuses to be frightened of me. She doesn't even know what I am."

The word 'what' caught my attention. I blinked once. "I just think you're a creep." I put my nose in my book. I began to search my mind for ideas.

A very faint memory from Freshman Mythology stuck in my mind. Dark under eyes, pale with purple undertones. He didn't seem to breathe when I was bleeding. Bella thought he thought she smelled that first day. The fact that most people naturally repelled him and his siblings.

Cullen seemed to concentrating on my face. "What are you thinking, Liza Swan?" he asked, absent mindedly, as if he was talking to himself.

That's when it hit me. I wrote on my paper, and passed it Cullen.

_**No eres humano.**_

He looked alerted.

_**¿Tengo razón yo?**_

He nodded. The world began to move in slow motion as I wrote my next question. I'd figured it out.

_**Eres un vampiro, ¿verdad?**_

He took the paper from me gently.

_**Scared yet?**_

I nodded. _My sister might be in love with a vampire. _"She loves you," I whispered, forcing myself to stay seated. "She doesn't know what she's up against, does she?"

He nodded. "I was hoping either one of you would discover my true nature."

I was clenching the side of the book. Tears began to roll down my face. "She will." I replied. "She's smarter than me and…" I looked him in the eyes. _I think she loves you._

He nodded. "I was afraid of that."

I watched his face. "You're a telepath too. But you can't read me well."

"And you sister not at all. When you're stressed or hurt your mind becomes—"

"Clear?" I offered; surprised at the turn our conversation had taken.

"Yes, thank you." He tapped my book. "Are we on chapter six?"

"Yes," I muttered, turning to the page.

----*----

I sat on the bleachers during Gym, unable to play. I began to think about Cullen and what would happen next.

Bella was clearly distracted. In fact, she seemed to be playing worse than usual. I knew what was on her mind. Silently, I wished she would get over him.

I wouldn't be so lucky.


	5. Music

**So far, I've only gotten a good review no bad ones, so I decided to continue the RETAKE. I'll keep the original up for now, but I probably won't update it. **

**Chapter 5: Music**

----*----

I forced myself to go with Bella and her gang down to the beach. "You're alive!" Mike Newton joked as I wobbled down the beach.

"I wish," I muttered, "that my tutor wasn't." _Bella is going to figure this one out. Then you better watch out, because if you hurt her… _I let my thoughts wander toward Cullen, willing him hear them. I blushed, realizing that I hoped they would.

"Your tutor?" the curly, dark-haired girl asked. "Who is he? A senior? Is he cute?"

"Edward Cullen," I muttered. "He's weird."

"You've got that right," one of the approaching Quileute boys said. "They don't come here."

I nodded in realization. _I'm glad I'm not the only one in the know._

Bella was planning something. Her head was slightly slanted, and she was twirling her hair. I followed her line of sight. Straight to Jacob. _Poor Jake-Jake. Bella's going to flirt._

----*----

That night was horrible. My right foot had turned in and my entire leg was rigid. I bit my lip, closed my eyes, and plugged my ears. It was the only way I could block pain.

"Still hazy," the familiar voice whispered from the corner.

I almost screamed. _GET OUT! _I thought, looking in the direction of his voice.

He flinched into the light. "Tone it down," he hissed. "Please."

I wanted to hit him. "What are you going here?" I hissed back.

He sat on the edge of my bed, staring at Bella. "I find your sister…" He frowned slightly.

"Fascinating? Intriguing? Amusing? Perplexing?" I offered again. "Do we Swan women always leave you at a lost for words?"

"I can't always think when I can't hear someone's thoughts." He admitted. "I think I've come to rely on my extra sense far too much."

"How old are you?" I asked. "Physically, I'd estimate 16 or 17."

"It was 1918," he whispered. I watched him grimace at the memory.

"If you don't want to talk about it," I said quickly, "you don't have to. We're all allowed to have secrets. I have my full share of them."

He pointed at my arm. "Like that tattoo?"

I groaned. _I should __**not**__ have worn a tank top. _"Yeah."

"Ducky?" he questioned, "that is an interesting nickname. Who came up with it?"

"My ex-boyfriend." I shook my head. "You really should go. I'm sure Phil told Charlie to keep males away from me. Human or not."

"You really were in over your head."

"Yes. I'm easily influenced." I took a deep breath. "So is she." I looked over at Bella's restless form. "If you kill her…" _You'll have to kill me too._

"I know," he said, after a second, "but I don't want to be a monster, Liza." As he flew (for lack of a better word) out the window, I noticed he was humming an unfamiliar melody.

----*----

The next day was Sunday, and I decided to take a walk. It was sunny and dry.

I heard some rock music coming from down the street. As if by instinct, I headed towards it. It was by no means the best I had heard. The singing voice was a high, as if some guy was trying to sound like a girl. The drum beat was off. "Excuse me?" I asked, walking into the small space.

The band stopped on a sour note. "Oh, hey," the singer said, turning off the mike.

"Nice guitar," I smiled in approval. "So, um, who are you guys?"

"I'm Titus," the singer replied. "That's Nate," he pointed the drum player, "and that's Grant." The bass player.

"I'm Liza. Nice to meet you."

"What do ya think?" the drummer asked, standing up.

"There's room for improvement," I admitted. "You've got a lyric and cord sheet?"

"Sure," Grant passed it to me. "Go for it."

"May I, Titus?" As he handed me the guitar, I sat on the amp.

_You want to hold my hand_

_But I can't even stand_

_The sound of your voice_

_You never gave me a choice_

_No 'yes or no'_

_Now, I'll never know._

_What am I supposed to do?_

_And what am I supposed to say?_

_I can't take the pain._

_No, I can't take this pain._

"Dude," Nate whistled. "Girl's good and hot."

I snorted. "I'm right here," I muttered. I stood and handed Titus his guitar.

"You're in!" Grant said, slapping my hand. "High five!"

"I wasn't auditioning, guys. I just like good music." I pointed at the sheet. "Who wrote this? It's amazing. Really emotional."

Titus scratched his head. "That would be me. I'm still working on the second verse."

Grant and Nate playfully punched him. "Now, if only he'd get a girl friend," Titus smiled.

"But that'll never happen," Nate looked in my direction.

"Of course," I smirked, "it would sound better if the percussion line could be followed."

Nate frowned. "Oh, ouch."

"Liza, there you are."

"Dad," I gulped. "Hey. This is…"

"Grant Murphy, Nathan Green, and Titus Lyons. I'm in here every few weeks." He stared at them. "What are you doing here?"

"I was just leaving, Dad."

"She's really good." Titus blushed. "I mean, she's got talent. She was working with Nate on the drum pattern."

"Dad, really, I was about to come home." I looked down. "I have a Spanish test tomorrow."

"No, it's good you've got some friends. They're a little loud, but they're better than the last set." Charlie walked towards home. "Be home in 20 minutes."

----*----

I took my viola with me to school the next day. During lunch, I headed to the band room, hoping I could use the practice space.

"Hi, Ms. Oliver. Can I use a practice room?"

"Liza, right? Violin?"

"Viola, actually. Eight years strong." I opened my case and rosined my bow. "I might sound horrible at first. It's been a few months."

"Go ahead."

I hit a key on the old piano. A 'C' rang in my ears. It came back easily. I started with scales and some first year tunes. The bell rang.

"Thanks, Ms. O." I loosed everything and put in back in the case. "Can I come in a few days?"

"Sure Liza."

----*----

I hadn't realized that Titus was in Gym. I sat on my place on the bleachers, and he walked up to me. "Hey, Liza. Were you carrying a violin earlier?"

"Viola," I corrected. "I was practicing during lunch. I've played for a while."

"Is that what I was hearing?" He was watching my face carefully.

"It was horrible, wasn't it?" I muttered, closing my eyes. "Don't tell me."

"No," he said. "It was great. Do you have a date for prom?"

"I'm a sophomore, actually. I can't go."

"Your sister is a junior. I would have sworn you two were twins."

"We are. I was held back."

He nodded in understanding. "That's okay, I'm a junior. I'll get you in." He smiled. "What do you say?"

"Sure, I don't see why not."

----*----

Bella asked Charlie if she could go to Port Angeles the next day. "Jessica Stanley and Angela Weber want me to help them pick out prom dresses."

He nodded. "That's fine. Are you going?" He was asking both of us.

"No," Bella said as I said, "Yes." I blushed and chuckled.

"With who?" Charlie asked. "Grant?"

"Titus Lyons. He asked me in Gym today."

"He's better than Grant, at least. Why don't you go with them and buy one too." He pulled out his wallet. "Three hundred enough?"

I blinked. _Since when did we have that type of money?_ "Dad, I was just going to wear a skirt. BTW, carrying that much cash is dangerous."

"Consider it a reward for good behavior."

----*----


	6. The Port

**Okay, I've got really bad PMS right now. If this message makes it seem like I'm pissed, it's because I am!!!!! Here are some things you should know.**

**All relationships are meant to be CANNON. Liza may get with Jacob, but she's won't get with Edward. EVER!**

**CP is short for Cerebral Palsy and spaz-die means Spastic Diplegia. I encourage you to use your favorite search engine. If you want a Liza-style explication of her/my case, say so in your review.**

**Liza's tendency of getting sick has nothing to do with #2. It's just something Liza/I have problems with.**

**On a nicer note: please take the polls on my profile page. I can't finish this story without your input.**

**If you hate me now, you do NOT have to finish reading this story.**

**Enjoy chapter six: The Port.**

**Anna**

----*----

I hated the idea of spending the day with Bella's friends.

"They don't have anything with sleeves," I muttered. "I don't even know where to start."

"Sleeves? Why do you need sleeves?" Jessica was hooked. _Must be looking for gossip._

"You asked." I picked the first dress that was size. A sparkly blue strapless.

"Dang," one of them said. "That looks amazing."

"Is that a tattoo?" Bella gasped. "Charlie's going to kill you."

"See, that's why I need sleeves."

Angela smiled. "I have a jacket that color, you can borrow it."

I smiled. "Would you really?"

I bought the dress right away and sat with Bella, watching the other two try on the various dresses.

Some older boys walked pass the window and tapped on the glass.

"Awkward," I said in a sing-song voice.

"Oh, that's uncomfortable."

"Oh my god."

"That's disgusting," Bella snorted. "I think I'm going to the book store now."

"I'll come with you." I stood with my bag. "Can I put this in your car?"

----*----

We walked out, Bella carrying a copy of 'Legends of the Slapping Beaver.' It was dark out.

Someone cat-called. "Hey, babes."

Bella grasped my arm. "Liza, we're being followed."

We were being pushed away from town. "No," I whispered. "We're being herded."

"Come on, have a drink with us." Two more were in front of us. "You two are pretty."

"Cute twins," they started to push us between them.

"Don't touch me!" Bella cried, kneeing one of them. "Stop it!"

I shoved one of the others away from me, knocking him to the ground. _Cullen now would be a good time to save the day._

"You're going to regret that, little girl." He threw a punch with so much force that I stumbled backwards. The one behind me grabbed my shoulders.

"RUN, IZZY!" I screamed. My one concern was getting her out of this unhurt. I knew what boys like this were capable of. "NOW, IZZY!" I tried to elbow the boy behind me. "GET OUT!"

"Don't be like that," he whispered in my ear. He started to pull off my jacket.

"LET HER GO!" I heard a familiar growl. "BELLA, GET IN THE CAR!"

"Make me," the boy hissed.

Cullen got up in his face. "Trust me, I can." His eyes flashed.

The boy dropped me, sending me onto the ground. "Liza!" Bella called from the car.

"I'm okay," I muttered, struggling to stand.

Edward wasn't breathing again. I touched my eyebrow. Blood was on my hand. "Shit." _Sorry. _"I'll get in the car now." I pulled open the door and pushed back the seat back. My hand was shaking. "I'm okay." I repeated.

As I pulled the seat toward me, Edward got in. "Distract me," he hissed at Bella. "So, I don't turn around at rip that boy's head off." I knew he went it literally.

"I'm going to run over Tyler Crowley tomorrow?" she offered. It was more of a question than statement.

"Why?" My voice cracked. Cullen's anger was scaring me. I took a deep breath. I went into a fit of coughing.

"He seems to think he's taking me to prom. If I total his new car, he won't be able to drive any one to the prom."

"Maybe you could hit him so hard you'd break his neck?" I offered. "Then he couldn't even go to school." I tried to laugh but it came out as a sob. _I'm going to be sick._

"Edward," Bella practically yelled. "Pull over. Something's wrong with Liza."

"If I pull over," he growled. "I'll turn around and kill those boys." His hands were gripping the steering wheel so hard that he was nearly breaking it. "You don't want me to do that."

"He's right," I whimpered, fighting the urge to vomit. "Trust me." Bella didn't know at that point. I parted my hair, covering my swelling eye with my bangs. "I'm fine."

We were nearly in Forks. "I want answers, Edward," Bella said, angry. "I mean it."

"Yes. No. To get to the other side. 1.7745…"

"She doesn't want to know the square root of pi." I muttered. "How close are we?" I put my head on the window.

I saw lights and heard sirens. "Dad's still here," Bella whispered.

"That's my father's car at the end," Cullen replied. "Shall we?" He pulled into the police station lot before I could say no.

_Breathe, _I ordered myself. _Come on, Ducky. You've got this._ I got out behind Bella. _You used to make people cringe in fear._

"Carlisle, what's going on?" Edward asked. "Did something happen?"

"Waylon is dead," the doctor said. "It looks like an animal attack."

I sunk to the ground. I had faint memories of the man, but that wasn't why. I felt like shit. My hands were still shaking. I was freaking out.

Carlisle looked at me and nodded. "Bella, why don't you go see your father? Waylon was his friend."

"Okay…" She looked back at me, fear in her face.

"What happened?" Carlisle asked his son, as he took my pulse. I pulled my hand away from his cold skin.

"They were attacked. Liza tried to fight back." Cullen was keeping a distance. "The most they got was her coat."

I hadn't realized they took my coat. I didn't feel cold; I just felt sick. "I'm fine," I lied again. "Really." _Never been better._ "I've faced worse."

The doctor half-smiled, trying to hide the worry. "Ice that eye, Liza. You're going to be fine."

----*----

Like always, my black eye and the bruises on my arms were easy to hide. Charlie raised his eyebrows when I limped down the stairs in long pants and a turtle neck but didn't ask any questions. For the first time since the accident, I was dreading Gym.


	7. Wind

**Thanks for dealing with my pissy mood earlier, people. I'll be explaining medical terms in this chapter. If I confuse you, ask for more clarification. My mom's a nurse and my dad was a paramedic, so I like big words. I'm using my case instead of making one up. It's easier for me to write and for me to answer questions about. This is pretty much a summary of my mom's college paper on the subject.**

**This chapter also contains a bit about my poll with band names. It's funny. The rest, you'll have to read.**

----*----

I sat down on the bleacher. After acting like he was playing Titus came over. "Is it true?" he asked slowly. "The rumors?"

I had no clue what he was talking about. _Okay, _I thought, _maybe I would like to be a telepath. _"What rumors?"

"That you have—" He was searching for the right words. "You have—" He looked down, red-faced. "I'm sorry. I don't know how to ask you this without hurting your feelings."

I instantly knew what he was talking about. "That I have some awful incurable disease?" He nodded. "Well, it's not really a disease. It's not contagious, progressive, or lethal. It's more of a condition."

He nodded again but still looked flustered. "Really, I don't mean to be mean but what is it?"

"It's called Spastic Diplegia." He just looked perplexed. "Cerebral Palsy?" I offered the simpler, broad term.

"Oh. I still don't get it," he admitted. He wouldn't look me in the eyes.

"It's okay," I assured him. "Not very any people know what it is. In fact, I know I guy who didn't know he had until he was 10. He was like most of us, he was born with it.

"All forms of Cerebral Palsy are caused by brain injuries that happen before, during, or in the two-to-three years after birth. Usually, it's because oxygen is cut off for a short amount of time. In my case, it was a few hours, maybe only minutes. They did a scan of my brain after I was born and saw a dark spot. A few hours later it was gone."

"A dark spot? As in—"

"Blood." He shivered. "It left scar tissue that causes my brain to misfire."

"Misfire?"

"It sends unwanted messages to my arms and legs." I hyper extended my hand. "See?"

"That looks painful." He touched my hand.

I pulled my hand away. "I'm used to it. Sometimes my legs do this." I turned my arms, so my elbows faced in word. "Ow." It bothered one of the bruises.

He gasped. "I'm sorry, Liza. I shouldn't have asked you to show me. Do you want me to take you to the nurse?"

"No," I smiled. "Shit like this happens. I'm fine." _Dude, how little you know._

----*----

By Saturday, the bruises were nearly gone. I ventured toward Grant's garage, wondering if they were out today. The weather was nice for once.

They were arguing when I stepped in. "Liza!" Grant called. "Glad you're here. We're trying to choose a name for the band."

"I'm not in the band," I reminded him.

"Come on," Nate said, hitting my arm. "It'll be fun." None of them heard me wince in pain. "Titus said he had a new idea."

"MisFire," Titus replied, looking slightly shamed. "I know it's a lot like Misfits, but I like it."

I blushed. I knew where that one came from. "Anything else?"

"I'm sticking with UnderFlowed." Grant muttered.

"There's always Over the Pass," Nate said, starting to laugh. "Or the old standby Water Logged." They all burst out laughing.

"What," I questioned, "is so damn funny?"

Nate's grin grew. "We preformed for our moms last Mother's Day. We were outside, and it started to rain. We were flooded out."

I walked back home, ecstatic. They'd chosen a name and inducted me as their 2nd guitarist/sometimes lead vocalist. We were going to practice as soon as Grant's mom turned the power to the garage back on.

----*----

When I came home, Bella and Charlie were both quieter than usual. "What's up?" I didn't want them to rain on my parade, but I asked anyway.

"Bella has a date with Edward Cullen in thirty minutes," Charlie growled.

I gasped. _On, no. She knows. _"WHAT?" I demanded. _We're so DEAD!_

"My thoughts exactly," Charlie replied.

"We're just playing baseball," Bella explained, shocked by my anger. "His whole family will be there."

Someone knocked on the door.

"Go away," Charlie whispered, getting up to answer. "Come in Edward," he said hostility as he stepped back.

I posed myself on the arm of the love seat. "Cullen," I greeted, curtly.

"Liza," he replied, smiling. "¿_Cómo estas?_

"_Muy mal, no gracias a tú." (Awful, no thanks to you.) _I replied. I looked him in the eyes. _I don't trust you._

"I know," he whispered. "But trust me this once." Nobody else heard him. "Chief Swan," he said formally, "my name is Edward Cullen."

"I know," Charlie stated. "So, you'd like to date my Bella."

"We're just going to play some baseball. Liza's welcome to come."

Just as I started to say "No," in my most polite tone, Charlie said, "That's a good idea."

As we started to walk out the door into the rain, Charlie pulled me back. "Yeah, Dad?"

"Please, do this for me this once. I need to know what's going on."

"Sure, Dad." _You really don't want to know…_

----*----

We walked out to to a field in the woods. The biggest Cullen waved at us with his bat. I couldn't remember his name.

"This is Liza," Cullen said to his family. "Charlie wanted her to come along. Liza, this is my family."

I nodded, staying close to the tree line and trying not to look small and afraid. It wasn't working very well. I didn't really pay any attention to game either. I just sat cross legged behind Bella and Cullen's mom, picking grass. I flinched every time the bat would hit the ball or one of the Cullens would hit a tree or something. It just didn't sound right.

Suddenly, several people (if you could call them that) gasped. "Alice, what is it?" the doctor asked.

"They're coming," she said, simply. _Who? _"They heard us playing."

Someone pulled me off the ground. "We've got to get you two out of here."

"It's too late," the doctor replied.

_What's going on?_ I demanded of Cullen.

"Waylon was killed by other vampires," he explained, softly. "They're coming this way."

"Are they thirsty?" Edward's mom asked Alice. The small vampire nodded.

I didn't need to ask Cullen what that meant. I sat back down. "Oh my god," _we're going to die._

The trio was crossing the field. Everything was moving slower than usual, as a stood to stand shyly behind the doctor. He nodded to me swiftly.

"Hello," the front vampire said. "I'm Laurent, this is Victoria and James."

"My name is Carlisle," the doctor replied. "This is Esme and Liza; Emmett and Rosalie; Jasper and Alice, and Edward and Bella." He made a point of introducing us in pairs, so as not to put the spot light on Bella or me. "We have a permanent residence nearby."

"Permanent?" James took a step closer. "Oh, golden eyes."

I didn't ask. "Can we play?" Laurent asked, in my place.

"Three of us were just leaving," Carlisle replied. "I don't see why not."

Suddenly, a gust of wind blew my hair.

----*----

**Don't kill me! I've already got chapter eight finished. I'm just making you guys wait because I'm waiting. You see, I can't finish this story without the band name and nobody's voted, so please! VOTE!**

**Anna. **


	8. Game

**I know I was going to wait, but I just couldn't! Okay, you can stop (or start) biting your nails now.**

----*----

I didn't look Cullen in the eyes. I'd discovered a way to avoid his power. With me, eye contact was the key. As we drove away from Forks, all I did was stare at my combat boots. I wouldn't let him know I was afraid.

"Edward," Bella demanded of him. "Turn around."

"No," he hissed, "I've got to get you out of here."

"What about Charlie?!" she nearly screamed. "He's our father! We have to do something!"

Cullen pulled to the side of the road, fuming. "Well?" he questioned.

After several tense seconds, I spoke. "To every—" I struggled with the word, "vampire but you, Bella and I smell the same right?"

"Yes," Cullen replied. "What does that have to do with it?"

"I'm sure James believes the stereotypes. Twins don't leave each other's sides. Why else would a clearly frightened girl be in a field with vampires?" I took a deep breath. "I'll stay here, so he'll hurt me instead of you or Charlie." I didn't look at Cullen, as he started to drive back.

"NO!" Bella screamed. "LIZA, YOU CAN'T!"

"It's my turn to be the stronger sister, Bella. Please, trust me," I whispered. "I used to face death every few weeks when I was younger." We were in the driveway. "Go have a fight with Charlie. I think I need to explain something to Stone Boy over here."

She got out the Jeep and slammed the door. Crying and running toward the house.

"Spill," Cullen hissed. "Why are you risking your life?"

"We have the same goal here, Edward," it was the first time I used his first name. "Keeping Bella safe." I still wouldn't look him in the eyes. I went inside.

----*-----

Once Bella drove away, I left Charlie to his worrying, and called Titus.

"Hello?" his dad answered.

"Hi. This is Liza Swan. I was wondering if I could talk to Titus for a few minutes."

"_Ey, hola, señorita Swan._" (Oh, hello, Miss Swan) Of course, I forgot that Mr. Lyon was the Spanish teacher. "¿_Cómo estas?" _(How are you?)

"_Estoy bein." _(I'm good) I lied. "_Quiero hablar con Titus." _ (I want to talk with Titus)

"_Su español es mejor." _(Your Spanish is better) He commented. "TITUS, PHONE!"

"_Hola_," he said slowly. "_¿Quién es etso?" _(Who is this?)

I fought the urge to say Ducky. That's how I'd answer in Phoenix. "Liza."

"Oh, hey, baby. What's up? You sound upset."

"I need to borrow your car. Bella's heading toward Phoenix and…" I was actually crying, "She's in danger."

"What? Why?"

The next bit wasn't really a lie. "I was in a gang down there. If they think she's me, they'll kill her. I squealed. It's your car, Grant's van, or I steal one."

"Okay."

----*----

It took me hours to get to the house in Phoenix. I slammed the door of Titus' little Geo Metro and unlocked the door.

"Don't scream," a smooth voice said, clasping a cold hand over my mouth.

I knew I couldn't throw him off. I entered and closed the door behind me. _Keep cool. _I thought, slipping into Ducky-mode.

"This is better than I thought," James hissed, releasing me. "I was just going to use an old tape of your mother to trick your sister. Now, I can just use you." His smirk widened. "Stupid human," he whispered.

"I heard that." I said with a diplomatic tone. "I came to offer you something," I explained. "Will you hear me out?" I sat on the arm of the sofa, getting closer to him than I preferred. He nodded. "Me. My life, my blood, my mortality. Which ever." I counted them on my fingers.

"What about the fourth option?" he asked.

"What fourth…" I started to ask before he charged at me.

----*----

Sunshine was flowing thru my window. Something at the foot of my bed was sparkling. I blinked. _Okay, I __**so**__ hit my head._

"Good morning, Liza," James greeted, surprisingly chipper. _Great, the world's most dangerous predator sparkles. __**Real**__ amusing. _

I touched my neck. "Okay," I said, panic rising in my voice. "I'm still human." _Not part of the plan._

He tsked. "Liza, Liza, Liza." He shook his head. "You are a strange child."

The look on his face was almost paternal. I nearly gagged at the sight. "What do you want with me?" I demanded. My voice cracked and I went into a coughing fit.

The fatherly look didn't waver. "I'm the only one in a position to make demands, Eliza-May. After all, you're the one that's sick."

_Sick? _I looked down. I was in my clothes from the day. The sleeves had been ripped to make bandages for my hands. I tried to form a fist. It didn't work. "WHAT DID YOU DO TO ME!?!"

He put a cold finger on my lips. "Hush, my child. I tried to cure that cute little disease—what was it called again?—Ah, yes, Cerebral Palsy. Too bad the venom didn't work. You must have some sort of immunity."

I didn't know what he meant by venom, but I did know how venom in general was injected. _Oh my god, he bit me._ I started to cry.

His started to smile. "That's better." He was twirling the house phone in his hand. "Maybe we'll call your sister now?" I shook my head as he handed me the phone. It was ringing.

"Hello, Mom?" Bella asked, horrified.

"Izzy, it's Liza," I cried. "Please, just, hang up—"

James shook his head and slapped the phone away. "Behave," he ordered me. "Hello, Isabella."

I couldn't hear the reply on the other end. "No, she's not hurt badly. She'll heal." "I know all about her medical condition. Your school is not very good at protecting their student's privacy.""Perhaps we can strike a deal. You for her." "How quickly can you escape?""The ballet studio down the street." "Can you handle that?" "We'll see you there." He hung up.

----*----

I woke again in a closet. _Real original,_ I thought. _Vampires have no imaginations._ I heard clumsy loud footsteps, and knew who it was. I triedscream, but I was gagged.

Bella pulled open the doors and untied my gag. "No Bella," I gasped. "Trap. Kill. Us. Both."

I didn't get my warning out soon enough, James had pinned her to the wall. "This was all too easy," he purred. "Poor little Liza walked right into the trap I was laying for your mother. Now I get two twins for the price of one."

"NO!" we screamed in unison.

James shut the closet door. I heard the lock click. "YOU WON'T GET AWAY WITH THIS!" I yelled. All I heard in response was a crash.

The crashing and screaming didn't stop, but maybe ten minutes in (you lose track of time in the dark) I heard Cullen yell. "You bastard!"

"It's too bad you didn't like Liza better," James daunted. "She's so much stronger. Prettier too. Brave little thing."

Somebody growled, and the crashing continued.

"I think Liza's in the closest closet!"

The little one, Alice, pulled open the doors and untied me. I heard Bella scream "IT BURNS!"

"What did he do?" I asked her, rubbing my wrists. I ran to my sister's side.

Dr. Cullen didn't look at me. "He bit her. She's changing. Vampire venom's nasty."

"It didn't do anything to me," I commented, holding down Bella's other arm with my bandaged hands.

"Carlisle, what's our other option?" Cullen begged his father. "I won't let the change happen."

"Suck the venom out," he said simply.

"The change is going to happen," Alice told her brother. "I've seen it."

"I won't be able to stop."

"Find the will to stop, son."

Cullen was hovering over the wound on Bella's arm. He looked at me. I nodded, once. "Please, just try," I begged softly.

----*-----

**Not really a cliff hanger if you know anything about the books. I'm just waiting for more votes, because the band name is in the next two chapters.**


	9. Changed Soul

**This is, in effect, the last true chapter. The next is a bit more of an epilogue.**

----*----

While my hands were getting stitched up, Renée saw my tattoo. She was too worried about Bella to say anything. "Fell thru a window?" my Phoenix-based orthopedic specialist asked when he came down to see me.

"Bella did," I replied, sticking to the story I helped Edward come up with. "I pulled some of the glass out of her leg and cut up my hands."

"I think," the resident stitching up my hand interrupted, "that you need a refresher course in First Aid."

"All that I care about is that my hands heal quickly so I can return my soon-to-be ex-boyfriend's car. He'll probably kick me out of the band for it."

----*----

Titus actually didn't mind. None the less, Charlie and I took a plane back down to Phoenix.

----*----

"Mom," I waited outside Bella's hospital room. "I think it's time I told you the truth about what happened this past fall. I was in a gang and I squealed. They set me up. I didn't steal Ms. Potter's car."

Renée pulled me into her arms. "I know. Francisco turned himself in. They got his brother on a murder charge."

"Speaking of Francisco," I was crying. I didn't want to tell the next truth. "I got an abortion just before." I sunk onto the floor. "I'm a monster."

She slid down to sit cross-legged beside me. "Oh, baby," she cradled me. "It's nothing to be ashamed of. You made a mistake."

I cried for hours.

----*----

"I'm immune," I told Dr. Cullen again. "I saw the marks. That monster defiantly bit me."

The doctor was shaking his. "Impossible." He gently examined my left hand. "I've never seen any thing like this."

Pulled my hand away. "Do you think it has something to do with my CP? I mean, it worked on Bella."

"That is what I think. Also, I do believe that you and Bella are not truly identical."

That caught me off guard. "No freakin' way." I looked at Edward. _Oh my god! Is this some sort of joke? Bella and I have been mistaken for each other off-and-on since we were little._

Dr. Cullen read the look on my face. "Your surface DNA appears to be the same but it's just a guess."

----*----

I was holding Bella's unbandaged (**not sure if that is a word**) hand when she woke up. "Liza," she whispered, "are you okay?"

Mom tried to smile. "Bella, honey, you're the one who fell down two flights of stairs and broke your leg."

"Some glass," I explained, sounding very professional. "Severed your femoral vein. Lost a lot of blood. Lucky it wasn't the artery. That would have spurted blood everywhere. Not a pretty mental picture."

Edward was doing a good job at pretending sleep, but he chuckled softly then.

Renée looked at him. "He hasn't left since they put you in here. That boy really does love you."

I took a deep breath. "He's nicer than I thought." It was my form of expectance.

----*----

Edward and I had spent nearly all of the three nights Bella was out talking.

"So, vampires don't sleep." I commented. "You sparkle. You run fast and you only die if you burn."

"If you call it dying." Edward said bitterly. "We probably just cease to exist."

"Atheist?" I questioned.

"Carlisle's father was a minister in England. He thinks that if we're good enough, we'll get in."

"You don't agree with him."

"We're monsters, Liza. I wouldn't be able to live with myself if I did something to Bella." He took a deep breath, "or you. That's why both of you have to go to Jacksonville."

"We're staying in Forks," I replied in a matter-of-fact tone.

"Why?" he hissed. "Isn't this warning enough?" He pointed at Bella with his thumb. "_Corderas estúpidas." (Stupid lambs) _

I didn't ask. "For one thing: I've got MisFire to worry about."

"Is that what those three are calling themselves now?" he asked himself. "What next?"

I snorted. "That's what _we're_ calling ourselves." I corrected. "I'm the lead singer now. I take music very seriously. Can we get back to the subject at hand, please?"

He nodded. "What's the second?"

"She loves you," I replied. "She'd go anywhere you go. My third point happens to be a question. What would she do if you left?"

He looked at her, desperate. "She wouldn't…"

"I know my sister," I replied. "Has she told you about dance classes?"

"No."

I looked down, gathering the bitter memories. A crying thirteen-year-old. The swirled images of our classmates laughing at us. The threats no one but me took seriously. Bella, pale, her head in the toilet. An empty pill bottle. I looked Cullen in the eyes, showing him. "See. That's why we quit dance. Bella's not stable."

He put his head in his hands. "She did mention that she couldn't dance."

"It was as much my fault as theirs." I whispered. "I practiced really hard and got really good. It got to the point that I was put in front and she was kept in the back. She stayed in because I didn't want to be alone. I won't let it happen again."

----*----

"Mom," Bella asked, coughing. "Where's Edward?"

Renée moved enough so Bella could see his still form. "He hasn't left."

"Where's Charlie? I have to apologize." Bella looked panicked. "He must be so worried."

"Go find him, Mom," I said. "I won't leave."

----*----

Charlie was less than happy on our plane trip home. "Eliza-May, what were you thinking?" Bella was leaning against Edward, sleeping.

"I was worried." I explained. "Titus was going to go with me, but I knew you wouldn't have approved…"

"Hell yeah, I wouldn't have. Why didn't you tell me you were leaving?!?"

His anger almost left me at a lost for words. "Dad, I'm sorry."

"Are you?" he demanded. "You really don't understand. I thought I'd lose both of you, and you didn't come out of the encounter unscratched."

"Dad, I'm fine…"

He was staring at my arm. I groaned. I was still wearing my tank top from the house in Phoenix. "What is that, young lady?"

"Dad, I can't afford to get it removed. I've had it for ages. I'll keep it covered, I promise. As soon as I get a job, I'll save up to get it removed."

We were silent for half an hour. "You really have changed, haven't you?" he asked.

I just smiled and closed my eyes.

----*----

**The final chapter will be shorter than this one, I think. I'll put it up in a few days. ******

**Anna**


	10. Prom

**I wrote the song in this chapter. It was originally a poem about one of my brothers and his first boyfriend *gasp*, so please don't hate it.**

----*----

I came down the stairs, laughing at Charlie and Edward. They were having some strange dad-boyfriend version of a stare down. I couldn't help but wonder what was going thru Charlie's mind and what Edward thought of it.

"Your friends are outside," Charlie said, simply. "Be back before these two, okay?"

Each one of the guys was wearing a vest and jacket. No shirt. I wanted to make some comment about how many push-ups Grant did to look like that, but decided against it. "Hey, dudes." The over-sized boy was probably sensitive. His type usually are.

Now, that I think about it, I really didn't know anyone in Forks well. Even myself. I guess I was too busy trying to figure Edward out to make any friends. Unlike Bella, who had more friends than I could count. I had a whole summer to catch up.

"Hot as ever," Nate said in way of greeting. He was wearing the lightest shade of blue, like the color at my feet. Almost white.

Grant was in the middle shade. "What up, Ducky?" He had a set of drumsticks in his back pocket.

"The sky," I replied. _Does that boy take his drumsticks with him everywhere?_ I shrugged off the thought. _Whatever. I'll ask him later._

Titus, in the darkest shade, took my hand. "Your hands are better," he whispered. "Thank goodness." He traced the moon-shaped scar with a finger.

"Come on!" Nate called, getting in the back seat of the Metro. "We've got a surprise for you!"

----*----

"Hell no!" I said. "I'm not going up there!" All of the instruments from Grant's garage were up on the stage, next to the DJ booth.

"Look, I heard Eric mention he wished we could get live music. We're just doing one song about half-way through." Titus gasped my hand again. "Hate me if you want." He looked down.

"I can't hate you," I replied, kissing his cheek. "Which song?"

"We were hoping one of yours. The new one," Nate said.

I nearly growled in anger. That song was very raw and very emotional. Not the kind of thing you play at proms. Especially not with the subject of the song in the room. "Absolutely not." I pulled my hand away. _Stupid boy… _I thought.

Nate pulled me into a private corner. "Look, Liza, I know Nate's a little immature. But he's a Green. Whatcha expect?"

I didn't know anyone named Green except Nate. Really, was I more in the loop in Phoenix? How could I be so clueless? My life in Forks just seemed so fast, rushed almost. I couldn't remember when I fell for Titus. Funny, I always imagined myself spending the rest of my life with Jake-Jake…

_Speak of the devil. _"Hey, May, what's up?"

I knew Jake went to school on the reservation. "OMG, are you crashing the prom?" _Oh, so like him. _I resisted the urge to hug him. "This is my boyfriend—" _WHAT? Why am I using __**that**__ word?_ My words were like reading a script. I shut my mouth. The embarrassment flooded my face.

"Titus Lyons," he said, reaching out to shake Jake's hand. "You are?" I couldn't read the look on Titus' face. _Hate?_

"Jacob Black. Eliza and I have known each other for years." I heard something distinct in Jake's voice. _Pride? _No. _Jealousy. _What? Since when…

My thoughts were interrupted by Nate. "LIZA! TITUS!" he screamed above the noise. "WE'RE ON!"

Titus jumped on stage and pulled me up. "Come on," he whispered. "You're up."

With a silent gulp, stepped up to the mike. "Hey, um, we're MisFire. I'm Liza. This is Titus, Grant, and Nate." I gulped again. _Oh no, I'm going to lose my voice. _"And I guess we're going to perform I song I wrote myself. Here it is: No Replacement."

_Your eyes glow when you look it at him,_

_It leaves me at a loss for words_

_You think I just don't get it._

_But the problem is I understand_

_That_

_There's no replacement for true love_

_No replacement for the one_

_I just wish you'd realize_

_There's no replacing you._

_Some may call me jealous_

_Other might try afraid_

_But I guess they didn't see_

_What you looked like on that day._

_So attached_

_So unashamed_

_Now you'll never be the same_

_Because_

_There's no replacement for true love_

_No replacement for the one_

_I just wish you'd realize_

_There's no replacing you._

_Please don't take this wrong but_

_**(If**__**this were real, the band would stop and Liza would speak the last lin**__e)_

_There's no replacing you. _

I stepped off the stage, ignoring the people around me. With a deep breath, I stepped outside. _I'm so confused. Who have I become? Has my new day begun without me? This is so surreal…_

I shrugged. _Oh, well, I've got all summer to figure this one out._

----*----

**The end of story #1. Story #2: High Noon will be up shortly. I'm still trying to write a summary… See you later! ******

**Anna**


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